Department of Health and Social Care

Autism: Children

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Department is taking steps to ensure that interim support is provided for children awaiting an assessment for autism.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Autism: Nottinghamshire

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for children requiring an assessment for autism in Nottinghamshire.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Taplow Manor Hospital

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) he and (b) his Department has held recent meetings with the families of former patients at Taplow Manor Hospital.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Taplow Manor Hospital

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that patients at Taplow Manor Hospital receive adequate care.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Clinical Trials

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 8 June 2023 to Question 187791 on Clinical Trials, which phases of clinical trials will GPs to be able to enrol their patients on.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many claims have been received by the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme in respect of adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccines; and how many received more than (a) 18, (b) 12 and (c) six months ago have not yet reached an outcome.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many claims have been received under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme on behalf of someone who has died; how many such claims were successful; and how many such claims are outstanding.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many claims under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme in respect of adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccines have met the criteria for causation but failed because of a finding that the resulting disablement was less than 60 per cent; and in how many of those cases the disablement was (a) 50 per cent or over, (b) 40 per cent or over and (c) 25 per cent or over.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Appeals

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many independent medical assessors have decided claims made under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme in respect of adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccines; whether such assessors are medically qualified; and whether their decisions in respect of claims have been overruled by reviewers in his Department.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board: Neurology

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many neuroscience staff are currently employed by the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board; and what was the vacancy rate for neuroscience staff in the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board in the most recent period for which data is available.

Will Quince: The HR system for National Health Service trusts does not hold data on the number of neuroscience staff, as there are a wide range of NHS staff who provide care for neurological conditions and neurosensory support.In February 2023, there were 77 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of neurology in NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care System. This included 32 FTE consultants. There were also 63 FTE scientific, therapeutic and technical staff working in neurosensory sciences.The Department does not hold the requested information on vacancy rates.

Clinical Trials

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many clinical trials were initiated in 2022; and if he will provide a breakdown of those figures by phase.

Will Quince: A total of 2,101 clinical trials were initiated in England in 2022 which were supported by the NIHR Clinical Research Network.The following table shows a breakdown of the number and proportion of trials by phase. However, sponsors did not provide information on the phase of trial for just over two-thirds of initiated trials.PhaseStudiesPercentageI934.40%I/II281.30%I/III10.00%II24411.60%II/III130.60%III27513.10%III/IV20.10%IV281.30%N/A1,41767.40%Total2,101100.00%

NHS: Pay

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to provide funding for (a) the pay rise for NHS staff that was backdated to April 2023 and (b) the NHS backlog bonus to staff employed by (i) social enterprises and (ii) local authorities delivering NHS services.

Will Quince: For the 2023/24 consolidated pay uplift for Agenda for Change staff, funding will be provided to National Health Service providers through the usual routes. The 2022/23 non-consolidated pay uplift for Agenda for Change staff applies to staff directly employed by an NHS organisation as set out in Annex 1 of the NHS Employers handbook. Independent providers and local authorities were not eligible to receive funding for the non-consolidated awards. Where non NHS employers have chosen to adopt the same terms and conditions as offered on the Agenda for Change contract, they should work with commissioners to determine handling of any additional costs in line with local contracts.

Medical Treatments: Innovation

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to ensure that patients have access to the most innovative treatment options within their own Integrated Care Systems.

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to ensure that patients are able to access the most innovative treatment options even if they are only available outside of their own Integrated Care Systems.

Helen Whately: It is our priority to ensure that patients have access to the most innovative treatment options, wherever they live in the country. Integrated care systems (ICS) are responsible for meeting the health needs of their local population. Integrated care boards are responsible for developing a plan for meeting the health needs of the population, managing the National Health Service budget and arranging for the provision of health services in the ICS area.

Brain: Tumours

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve diagnosis times for those affected by brain tumours.

Helen Whately: The Department has taken steps to significantly invest in diagnostics through additional funding for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography capacity across all National Health Service healthcare settings over this Spending Review period. This includes the acceleration of the Community Diagnostic Centres programme which will further release imaging capacity to reduce the waiting times for all patients including patients with clinical indication of a brain tumour. There has also been investment in MRI Acceleration technology which will improve the daily throughput per upgraded MRI scanner by reducing the scan times required per patient and improve the patient experience by reducing the scan times for patients.Improvements to GP Direct Access pathways will support general practitioners referring directly for MRI brain scans, where they have concerns about symptoms that could indicate an incidental finding of a brain tumour. In addition, all patients referred for an imaging diagnostic scan with the clinical indication of cancer/tumour would be treated as an urgent cancer referral. These referrals are triaged, appointed and reported within two weeks of referral.

Brain: Tumours

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise public awareness of the signs and symptoms of brain tumours.

Helen Whately: NHS England is delivering a range of interventions to support general practitioners (GPs) in diagnosing brain cancer earlier, therefore the Department is not running any additional public awareness campaigns at this stage.In April 2020, NHS England introduced the “early cancer diagnosis service specification” for Primary Care Networks. This is designed to support improvements in rates of early cancer diagnosis by requiring Primary Care Networks to review the quality of their practices’ referrals for suspected cancer and take steps to improve this.NHS England is also working with Cancer Alliances and GPs to diagnose more cancers earlier by making funding available to embed clinical decision support tools within general practice and give them access to a wider range of diagnostic tests. This includes brain MRIs, for patients with concerning symptoms, but who fall outside the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline threshold for an urgent suspected cancer referral. These tools and tests are expected to support the earlier detection of a range of cancers including brain cancer.

Cancer: Health Services

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to include active monitoring in cancer care planning.

Helen Whately: NHS England is providing over £390 million in cancer service development funding to Cancer Alliances in each of the next two years to support the delivery of priorities in cancer, including working to ensure that every person receives personalised care and support from cancer diagnosis onwards.The Government and the National Health Service are committed to ensuring that all cancer patients get access to a Holistic Needs Assessment and Personalised Care Interventions. These will ensure care focuses on what matters most to each person, whilst empowering them to self-manage where appropriate and providing a route back into the system if they notice any worrying changes or need to seek help.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has for a cross-Government delivery plan on myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome.

Helen Whately: The Department plans to publish a draft delivery plan on ME/CFS shortly. We intend to seek views on the draft plan before publishing a final delivery plan at a later date.

Hospices: Staff

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential support required by hospices for staffing costs in the next 12 months.

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the delivery of inflation related uplifts to statutory contracts with the independent hospice sector.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy in the level of funding for staff in hospices.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been made. The Government recognises the importance of palliative and end of life care for patients and those important to them. Palliative and end of life care, including hospice care, is commissioned locally by integrated care boards in response to the needs of their local population. Any assessment would therefore be made at a local level.Most hospices are independent, charitable organisations that remain free to set salary rates along with other terms and conditions at a level that reflects the skills and experience of their staff.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the £10 million announced for breast cancer screening will been used to deliver 29 new breast cancer screening units.

Helen Whately: The £10 million funding for breast screening units will provide 28 new breast screening units and 59 upgrades. The timing for delivery of units is individual to each local National Health Service trust.

Patients: Coronavirus

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients were moved from hospitals to (a) care and (b) nursing homes to create space for anticipated covid-19 patients in England and Wales in (i) March and (ii) April 2020.

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of patients who were moved from hospitals to (a) care and (b) nursing homes subsequently died of (i) covid-19 and (ii) other causes within (A) 7, (B) 14, (C) 28, (D) 56 and (E) 112 days of being moved.

Helen Whately: The information requested is not held centrally.

Hospices: Cost of Living

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) adult’s and (b) children’s hospices with the cost of living.

Helen Whately: Palliative and end of life care, including hospice care, is commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs) in response to the needs of their local population. Charities, including hospices, have already benefitted from the Energy Bill Relief Scheme which ended on 31 March 2023, and provided £7 billion of support. Eligible organisations, including hospices, will continue to get baseline discount support on gas and electricity bills under the Energy Bills Discount Scheme from 1 April 2023 until 31 March 2024.At a national level, NHS England has released £1.5 billion additional funding to ICBs to provide support for inflation, with ICBs deciding how best to distribute this funding within their systems, including to palliative and end of life care providers such as hospices.Additionally, NHS England has invested £25 million in the Children and Young People hospice grant in the financial year 2023/24 to provide care closer to home for those seriously ill as and when they need it.

Radiotherapy

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to introduce more centres for radiotherapy.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total cost is of running mobile radiotherapy services; and what levels of staffing are required to support those services.

Helen Whately: NHS England Specialised Commissioning is the responsible commissioner for all radiotherapy services across England and so is responsible for setting evidence-based national service standards for radiotherapy, including service specifications, clinical commissioning policies, and the introduction of more centres for radiotherapy.These arrangements will be further strengthened by the establishment of nine specialised commissioning joint statutory committees, which will bring regional specialised commissioning expertise and integrated care systems together. The Department does not hold data on the total cost is of running mobile radiotherapy services and what levels of staffing are required to support those services.

Lyme Disease

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve (a) treatment and (b) support for chronic lyme disease patients.

Helen Whately: Research shows that the vast majority of patients with Lyme disease will experience a full recovery. A minority of patients may experience more protracted symptoms, known as Post-treatment Lyme disease Syndrome (PTLDS). Why some patients experience PTLDS and others do not is unclear. There is no current proven treatment for PTLDS, however research is looking at the best way to manage patients.Specific training for general practitioners (GPs) and infection specialists on Lyme disease is held regularly. Lyme Disease Action has an e-learning module for GPs, recommended by the Royal College of General Practitioners. Guidelines for Healthcare professionals and providers, and people with Lyme disease, their families and carers, are published by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Out of Area Treatment

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department will take to ensure that treatment accessed outside of a patients local Integrated Care System is properly financed and managed.

Helen Whately: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are statutory National Health Service organisations responsible for meeting the health needs of their population in the integrated care system area, managing the NHS budget and arranging for the provision of health services in their area.Section 14Z31(1) of the 2006 Act requires NHS England to publish rules for determining the groups of people for whom each ICB is to have core responsibility for commissioning of health care services. Section 14Z31(2) states that NHS England’s rules on core responsibility must ensure that every person who is provided with NHS primary medical services and any other person who is not being provided with such services but who is usually resident in England, is a person for whom ICBs have core responsibility.NHS England has further published a “Who Pays” guidance that sets out framework for establishing which NHS commissioner will be responsible for commissioning and paying for an individual’s NHS care.

Neurology: York Central

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the (a) incidence and (b) prevalence of neurological conditions in the population of York Central constituency in the most recent period for which data is available.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been made. The information is not collected or held at constituency level.

Multiple Sclerosis: Diagnosis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the last five years; and if he will provide a breakdown of those figures by age and gender.

Helen Whately: The information is not held in the format requested.

Rheumatology

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to expand the number of allied health professionals working within rheumatology teams.

Helen Whately: The composition of rheumatology teams is for local determination. In 2021/22, the Health Education England (HEE) National AHP Workforce Supply Project (2021/22) delivered recruitment initiatives including improved return to practice pathways, pre-registration apprenticeships and more jobs for new graduates. A HEE national programme started in 2022/23 to support National Health Service trusts with allied health professionals (AHP) international recruitment.The AHPs Strategy for England ‘AHP’s Deliver 2022-2027’ was published in June 2022, one of the key ambitions is to promote the wellbeing of AHPs. Health Education England is developing Advanced Practice Credentials for Allied Health Professionals, this supports retention of staff through increased job satisfaction and improved quality of care, by enhancing AHP clinical and leadership skills.

Disabled Facilities Grants

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's policy paper People at the Heart of Care: adult social care reform, published on 1 December 2021, for what reason the Disabled Facilities Grants consultations on (a) increasing the amount that a grant can pay for an individual adaptation, (b) the way that such Grant funding is allocated to local authorities, and (c) reforming the means test underpinning those Grants were not undertaken in 2022..

Helen Whately: The priorities for this Government are making sure that people have access to the right care, in the right place, at the right time. This has meant a need to review certain policy areas to focus on these priorities. Next Steps to put People at the Heart of Care announced a further £102 million, £50 million in 2023/24 and £52 million in 2024/25, for housing adaptation support. This is in addition to the £573 million per year which is already available for the Disabled Facilities Grant. This increase will enable local areas to fund supplementary services that are agile and help people stay independent, support hospital discharge, and make minor adaptations.Local areas already have discretion on how they manage the grant, for example, they can increase the cap on a case-by-case basis or in line with a locally published housing assistance policy. They can also choose to waive the means test for grants costing under a certain amount. As with all aspects of the Disabled Facilities Grants, Government will continue to keep these reforms under review.

Palliative Care: Children and Young People

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which integrated care boards were granted match funding for children and young people’s palliative and end-of-life care from NHS England in the 2022-23 financial year; and how much did each integrated care board receive in that year.

Helen Whately: Match funding was provided by NHS England to the following integrated care boards (ICBs) via the Core scheme and the Expression of Interest Scheme. The following table shows the ICBs that received match funding and the value of that funding.ICBTotal (£)NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB66,000NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB60,000NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB68,000NHS Black Country ICB100,000NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB168,000NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB272,000NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB76,000NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB136,000NHS Cornwall and The Isles of Scilly ICB8,000NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB-NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB90,000NHS Devon ICB10,000NHS Dorset ICB8,000NHS Frimley ICB94,000NHS Gloucestershire ICB60,000NHS Greater Manchester ICB276,000NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB75,000NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB108,000NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB80,000NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB84,000NHS Kent and Medway ICB135,000NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB264,000NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB9,000NHS Lincolnshire ICB35,000NHS Mid and South Essex ICB103,000NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB80,000NHS North Central London ICB68,000NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB322,000NHS North East London ICB339,000NHS North West London ICB40,000NHS Northamptonshire ICB18,000NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB64,000NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB91,000NHS Somerset ICB78,000NHS South East London ICB26,000NHS South West London ICB115,000NHS South Yorkshire ICB166,000NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-On-Trent ICB164,000NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB192,000NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB143,000NHS Sussex ICB43,000NHS West Yorkshire ICB322,000

Social Services

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to reform the social care charging system.

Helen Whately: The Government remains committed to delivering adult social care charging reform, which will include the introduction of a cap on personal care costs and a significant expansion of the means test. As announced in the Autumn Statement, we have listened to the concerns of local Government and taken the difficult decision to delay the planned reforms. The funding has been retained in local authority budgets to help them meet current pressures.

NHS: Mental Health Services

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs on (a) NHS staff mental health, (b) NHS staff wellbeing, (c) NHS staff retention rates, (d) NHS staff vacancy rates and (e) NHS staff burnout.

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made. Staff mental health hubs were established in October 2020 with funding subsequently extended to March 2023. They were funded on a non-recurrent basis using additional funding from Government as a short-term response to the pressure on the workforce from COVID-19.To ensure that specialist support for staff remains available, NHS England has committed to a regional roll out and will provide a proportion of non-recurrent funding to be split across the regions using a weighted population approach during 2023/24. Regions and integrated care boards will have the ability to target funding where it is most needed.The health and wellbeing of National Health Service staff is a priority. NHS England has developed a range of health and wellbeing support for staff and earlier this year published a strategy to grow and strengthen occupational health and wellbeing services across the NHS. NHS staff can continue to access NHS Practitioner Health, a national support service for staff with more complex mental health needs brought about by serious issues such as trauma or addiction.

Agency Nurses: Expenditure

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much was spent by NHS trusts in England on off-framework agencies in financial year (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23.

Will Quince: Off-framework agency spend for 2021/22 was £179.8 million. 2022/23 agency spend data is not yet finalised and will be validated in due course.

Hospitals: Construction

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full time equivalent staff were working on the New Hospital Programme in each year since 2019.

Will Quince: The New Hospital Programme was set up to deliver the Government’s commitment to build 40 new hospitals and it is a joint programme across the Department and NHS England.The following table shows the earliest available figures for New Hospital Programme average full-time equivalent (FTE) staff for each financial year. This spans staff across both the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England. Data prior to 2021/22 is not available due to the Department’s reporting systems.Financial YearNew Hospital Programme average FTE staff number2021/22582022/23115 Technical advisors engaged on the New Hospital Programme do not form part of the headcount. They are engaged for specific packages of work and provide services and deliverables rather than resources.

NHS: Bullying

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of bullying within the NHS workforce.

Will Quince: Bullying is unacceptable in any workplace and has no place in the National Health Service. All employers across the NHS should have a robust policy on bullying outlining how it should be handled and staff should be made aware of this. As NHS England set out in their recent Equality, Diversity and Inclusion improvement plan, bullying and harassment at work can result in increased sickness absence and employee turnover, diminished productivity, sickness presenteeism and employee relations costs. These things can all adversely impact the quality of patient care.In addition to this, NHS England has developed a NHS Civility and Respect programme which aims to tackle bullying and harassment in the NHS and to create positive workplace cultures of civility and respect.

Members: Correspondence

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to reply to the correspondence of 15 March from the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford.

Will Quince: I replied to the hon. Member on 9 June 2023.

Children: Mental Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is taking steps to establish community mental health hubs for children during school holidays.

Maria Caulfield: This year, the Government is again investing over £200 million in our holiday activities and food programme (HAF), with all local authorities in England delivering in the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays. The programme provides heathy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families, benefiting their physical and mental health and wellbeing. HAF clubs can also act as a referral point for children and families to the support and services they need. Last summer, our programme reached around 600,000 children across England, including over 475,000 children eligible for free school meals across England.The Department has been working with other Government Departments, stakeholders and the Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise sector to better understand the role that “Early Support Hubs” might play in supporting children and young people’s mental wellbeing. As part of that, we have recently commissioned research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research to establish the effectiveness of the open access “hub” model of early intervention and prevention support for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.Clinical commissioning groups and local authorities work with local partners to understand local needs and commission services on that basis. This means that local areas are able to design and fund a hub model if they think it would meet local need.

Anxiety: Students

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help improve outcomes for people with anxiety who are in full-time education.

Maria Caulfield: The NHS Long Term Plan commits an additional £2.3 billion a year for the expansion and transformation of mental health services in England by March 2024 so that an additional two million people, including those with anxiety who are in full-time education, can get the National Health Service funded mental health support that they need.We have delivered the £7 million Wellbeing for Education Recovery programme, which provides free expert training, support and resources for staff dealing with children and young people experiencing additional pressures from the pandemic, including trauma, anxiety, or grief. The programme built on the success of the £8 million Wellbeing for Education Return, used by more than 90% of councils after it launched in summer 2020.We are making good progress in rolling out mental health support teams to schools and colleges across England. As of spring 2022 there were 287 in place in over 4,700 schools and colleges across the country, offering support to children experiencing anxiety, depression, and other common mental health issues. We expect this is now at around 399 teams covering 35% of pupils and are just awaiting final confirmation of these numbers from the NHS. Over 500 are planned to be up and running by 2024.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Appeals

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many requests for mandatory reversal of decisions relating to claims under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme in respect of adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccines have been received; on what date the first such request was received; how many decisions in response to requests for mandatory reversal have been decided; and how many such requests have been successful.

Maria Caulfield: The NHS Business Services Authority, who administer the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS), have received 177 mandatory reversal requests relating to COVID-19 vaccines. The first of these requests was received in August 2022. Of the 177 reversal requests, 13 claimants have been notified of an outcome.The number of mandatory reversals resulting in a payment award is fewer than five and therefore we are unable to provide the exact figure. This is because there is a risk that claimants could be identified using a combination of information that may be in the public domain or reasonably available.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dangerous Dogs

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) Public Space Protection Orders and (b) Dog Control Orders have been issued in relation to the American Bully XL dog since 2019.

Trudy Harrison: Defra does not hold this information. Instead, this information may be held by those who issue such notices and orders, i.e. local authorities and the courts.

Dangerous Dogs

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department's Responsible Dog Ownership working group has discussed the American Bully XL breed.

Trudy Harrison: The Responsible Dog Ownership working group is considering controls and measures applying to all breeds of dog.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to regulate canine fertility clinics.

Trudy Harrison: Under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, only veterinary surgeons are permitted to perform canine artificial insemination. Any non-vet undertaking canine artificial insemination is therefore in breach of the Act. Those operating canine fertility clinics, and owners using their services, are required under The Animal Welfare Act 2006 to protect the animals involved from harm and to provide for their welfare in line with good practice. A breach of these provisions may lead to imprisonment, a fine, or both. In addition, under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations), anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters in a twelve-month period needs to hold a valid licence issued by their local authority. Licensees must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse or revoke licences. We are in the process of reviewing these regulations and will report in Autumn.

Avian Influenza: Leighton Hall

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cases of Avian Influenza have been found on the Leighton Hall Estate in my Constituency in the past 100 years.

Mark Spencer: The UK is currently in the largest ever outbreak of avian influenza. Outbreaks of avian influenza in both kept and wild birds have occurred at an unprecedented scale across Europe and the UK with cases continuing to be confirmed into year two of the outbreak for the first time. We do not comment on individual premises nor hold a full dataset on cases of avian influenza for the past 100 years, however, based on the available information, there have been no outbreaks of notifiable avian influenza confirmed in the Morecambe and Lunesdale Constituency (Since 2006). In terms of wild bird findings, since 2017, there has been a wild bird finding in a tufted duck near Carnforth in 2017, a finding in a mallard near Carnforth in 2021, a finding in a mute swan near Whittington in 2021, and a finding in a common buzzard near Carnforth in 2022. These have all been in the Morecambe and Lunesdale Constituency. Findings of Avian Influenza in wild birds are published online and can be found on Gov.uk. Epidemiological reports setting out our investigations into previous outbreaks of avian influenza in Great Britain have been published and are available on Gov.uk.

Washing Machines: Microplastics

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to ensure that all washing machines manufactured and imported in the UK from January 2025 have a microfibre filter.

Rebecca Pow: The Plan for Water outlines our position that we will expect industry to develop low cost, effective microfibre filters on washing machine and encourage their effective use. With the plan being published only recently, we are now considering the best actions for its implementation. As a first step, we will look to manufacturers to reduce costs and to provide appropriate evidence of the value of microfibre filters to persuade consumers to invest in them and use them correctly.

Deposit Return Schemes

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to prepare for the roll out of the deposit return scheme in England in October 2025.

Rebecca Pow: In January 2023, UK Government, Welsh Government, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland published the government response to the 2021 consultation, setting out policy decisions and next steps for introducing the scheme. The immediate next step is to finalise the secondary legislation, which will set out the detailed obligations required to deliver the scheme, taking steps to ensure it will work in practice. The legislation then needs to go through the necessary clearances including WTO notification, before it can be laid in UK Parliament and the Welsh Senedd. We will then be able to assess an application and appoint the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO) who will be responsible for running the scheme. Our intention is to have appointed the DMO by summer 2024. Once the DMO is appointed, there is a period of time required for them to set up including establishing their governance, getting staff in place, securing set up finance and making initial decisions. It is only once these decisions have been made can industry finalise their part of rollout, which includes making labelling changes to products and rolling out reverse vending machines. We want to ensure we have an ambitious yet realistic timeframe for delivery of the scheme. Government has set out that the DRS will start from 1 October 2025. We will continue to work with industry to assess the feasibility of this date as more detail is developed on the implementation phases of the scheme, including as part of the Deposit Management Organisation application process.

Hedges and Ditches: Conservation

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that the gap in legal protection for hedgerows because of the transition from basic payments to the Environmental Land Management scheme that will arise on 31 December 2023 will be filled on 1 January 2024.

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on nesting birds of delinking publicly funded farm payments and minimum good practice requirements for hedges because of the transition from basic payments to the Environmental Land Management scheme.

Mark Spencer: We recognise the importance and value of hedgerows, which have a key role in conserving and enhancing biodiversity, tackling climate change and enhancing our countryside. As we move away from legacy EU Common Agricultural Policy arrangements, we are committed to ensuring our high environmental standards are maintained and that we have the right framework in place. Whilst the majority of hedgerows are on agricultural land, approximately a fifth are not. It is important, therefore, that all landowners recognise their importance and do their bit to protect them. The Hedgerows Regulations 1997 set legal protections for hedgerows in England and Wales outside of cross compliance. These existing regulations prohibit the removal of most countryside hedgerows (or parts of them) without first seeking approval from the local planning authority. It decides whether a hedgerow is ‘important’ and should not be removed because of its wildlife, landscape, historical or archaeological value. Alongside the Hedgerows Regulations, all wild birds, their eggs and their nests are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which prohibits killing, injuring or taking of wild birds or taking or damaging their eggs and nests. These regulations jointly provide important protections for most countryside hedgerows and for nesting wild birds. In addition to these legislative protections, our new Environmental Land Management schemes will also continue to fund the improvement and management of hedgerows, in recognition of their historical, cultural and environmental value to our countryside. We will be consulting shortly on what the regulatory arrangements for hedgerows should be after cross compliance ceases at the end of 2023 and how we can best continue to improve and protect hedgerows.

Deposit Return Schemes

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals for a deposit return scheme.

Rebecca Pow: We are currently drafting the legislation to enable delivery of DRS, reflecting the positions set out in the consultation response published in January 2023. The legislation then needs to go through the necessary clearances before it can be laid in UK Parliament and the Welsh Senedd. We anticipate laying in the UK Parliament this summer.

Water Charges

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to freeze water bills.

Rebecca Pow: Customer bill levels have remained stable in real terms over the last two decades. The average household bill is £448 in 2023-24, that is £1.23 a day for high quality drinking water supplied to homes and sewage being removed. Ofwat, as the independent economic regulator, sets the bill level. Ofwat must ensure that water companies are meeting government priorities and legal obligations and that they balance the interests of the consumers too, including affordability. Government is very mindful that consumers are concerned about their bills and we carefully assess bill impacts through our policy development process. For example, our Storm Overflows Plan balances ambition and pace to clean up our water and protect the environment with impact on consumer bills. Our Plan will see £56 billion capital investment by 2050, with an estimated £12 average increase in customer water bills between 2025 and 2030. We ruled out options adding £122 to household bills per year for the same period.

Water Companies

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that Ofwat effectively challenges water companies for breaches of their responsibilities.

Rebecca Pow: The Government has established a robust system of independent economic regulation for the purpose of ensuring the public receive value for money from their water companies. The Government’s Strategic Policy Statement for Ofwat makes it clear that we expect Ofwat to work with other regulators and wider stakeholders to ensure security of supply and protect and enhance the environment. Through the Environment Act 2021, the Government has given Ofwat improved powers to modify water company licenses without consent. On Monday 20 March 2023, Ofwat announced a new measure that will enable it to take enforcement action against water companies that do not link dividend payments to performance for both customers and the environment. Where companies fail to meet their obligations, regulators have not hesitated to act. Ofwat’s annual performance assessment process, and the automatic penalties that apply to companies who underperform, represents an excellent example of strong economic and environmental regulation. In November 2022, Ofwat announced financial penalties of £132 million applying to 11 water companies, in response to underperformance in areas such as water supply interruptions, pollution incidents and internal sewer flooding. Money from Ofwat’s penalties will rightly be returned to customers through water bills in 2023-24. Ofwat is currently undertaking the largest ever civil investigations into over two thousand wastewater treatment works. The Government will continue to work with water sector regulators to hold water companies to account on poor performance and drive improvements which benefit customers and the environment.

Plastics

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the growth of (a) the agricultural industry and (b) population on the use of single-use plastics.

Rebecca Pow: No assessment has been made. However, we note that the OECD’s Global Plastic Outlook predicts that population growth is a significant factor contributing to increased global plastic usage by 2060.

Agriculture: Plastics

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to incentivise farmers to switch from single-use plastic mulching films to certified soil-biodegradable alternatives through the (a) Sustainable Farming Initiative, (b) Farming Investment Fund and (c) other Defra schemes.

Rebecca Pow: No steps have been taken. While we consider there may be niche applications, generally we do not support the use of biodegradable plastics.

Competition

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on how many occasions she has met the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare to discuss competition in the period since herappointment; when those meetings took place; and whatwasdiscussed at each meeting.

Mark Spencer: The Secretary of State has not met with the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare to discuss competition since her appointment.

Birds: Conservation

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the impact of swift bricks on the swift population in areas where such bricks have been included in new build developments.

Trudy Harrison: Through the Environment Act 2021 we have introduced a mandatory duty for developers to deliver a ‘biodiversity net gain’, which will mean that habitats for wildlife must be left in a measurably better state than they were before any development. Specific biodiversity features, such as swift bricks, would normally be required of developments through either the relevant local plan or through the local authority’s development control team. There is currently little research into how swift bricks are used by swifts and what designs work best. As their use becomes more widespread, Defra and its agencies will continue to monitor swift populations and look for indications of positive effects.

Responsible Dog Ownership Working Group

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times the Responsible Dog Ownership working group have met since its inception.

Trudy Harrison: The Responsible Dog Ownership working group and its subgroups have met 26 times since it was established in February 2022.

Animal Sentience Committee

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to announce the members appointed to the Animal Sentience Committee.

Trudy Harrison: On 25 May 2023, we announced that the Animal Sentience Committee has been established. The Committee is chaired by Michael Seals CBE, who was appointed on 02 September 2022. He is joined by five experts in animal welfare, who were appointed on 25 May 2023. The five new members are Professor Richard Bennett, Richard Cooper, Dr Penny Hawkins, Professor Anna Meredith and Professor Christine Nicol.

Marine Protected Areas: Fisheries

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of bottom-trawling in marine protected areas on the 30by30 initiative.

Mark Spencer: The 30by30 target, Target 3 of the Convention on Biological Diversity Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, is a global target to protect 30% of the global ocean and of land by 2030. Nearly 8.3% of the global ocean is now protected. Achieving a global 30by30 target will require an international effort, from all countries and sectors and the UK is leading the way. In England, we have established a comprehensive network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) covering 40% of our waters, and we are now focusing on making sure they are properly protected. Marine regulators make evidence-based, site by site assessments on the fishing activities that could prevent MPAs from achieving their conservation objectives. Nearly 60% of the 178 English MPAs are already protected from damaging fishing activity. This includes byelaws made last year, which ban bottom towed gear over sensitive features in the first four offshore sites. The Marine Management Organisation consulted earlier this year on similar proposals for a further 13 sites. We are aiming to have all MPAs in English waters protected from damaging fishing activity by 2024.

Livestock: Antibiotics

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on banning the use of antibiotics in healthy farm animals.

Mark Spencer: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues. The Government takes a ‘One Health’ approach to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as set out in the UK National Action Plan on AMR. Officials from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Defra and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate meet regularly to consider appropriate actions to address AMR across the human and animal health sectors. This has included discussion on the use of antibiotics to prevent disease in farm animals. Defra is a co-signatory with DHSC of the UK's AMR five-year National Action Plan (2019-2024) and the UK's 20-year Vision to Contain and Control AMR by 2040. Defra leads on the animal, plant and environment elements of the National Action Plan. A key ambition of these strategies is the appropriate use of antibiotics in humans and animals so that they continue to be an effective tool to treat infections when needed. The Government is committed to reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics in animals while safeguarding animal welfare. It has been our position for many years that we do not support the routine or predictable use of antibiotics, including where antibiotics are used to compensate for inadequate farming practices. To date in the UK, collaborative working between the Government, the veterinary profession and the agriculture sectors to focus on these issues has resulted in our national sales of veterinary antibiotics reducing by 55% since 2014, and in 2021 we recorded the lowest antibiotic use to date. The UK is one of the lowest users of veterinary antibiotics across Europe, with only seven other European countries having sold fewer antibiotics in 2021 (Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia). Changes to the law on veterinary medicines represent one tool which can be used to help effect reductions in antibiotic prescribing in animals. The Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 are currently under review, and the feedback from the recently closed consultation public consultation will be analysed and considered.

Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2023 to Question 187162, what other means her Department plans to use to take forwards the provisions of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill.

Mark Spencer: We will be taking forward measures in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill individually through other means during the remainder of this Parliament. This will be a combination of legislative and non-legislative approaches where appropriate. Parliamentary business will be announced in the usual way

Bracken: Weed Control

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2023 to Question 186764 on Bracken, when she plans to take a decision on the application for emergency authorisation of the use of Asulox.

Mark Spencer: As stated in PQ 186764, a decision on the emergency authorisation for the use of Asulox will be made as soon as possible.

Fisheries: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has she made of the impact of bottom-trawling on (a) carbon in the seabed and (b) the release of greenhouse gases.

Mark Spencer: The overall impact of trawling on carbon dioxide release remains uncertain. Defra is actively progressing the evidence base to better understand the resilience and recovery of seabed biodiversity and carbon stores in sediments, in response to human pressures and management interventions. Defra work with a number of experts on climate change, including the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), to understand the impacts of trawling on the seabed and whether carbon disturbance at the seabed leads to greenhouse gas emissions. We plan to release more research outputs relating to seabed carbon, as work continues to progress in this area, helping to develop a stronger understanding of the impacts of bottom-trawling. The UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership's Evidence Needs Statement, which Defra contributed to as a partner, was published on World Ocean Day (8th June 2023). It signalled the need for the Blue Carbon community to further the evidence base on the potential impacts of seabed disturbance on carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions (UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership - Evidence Needs Statement (cefas.co.uk)).

Storm Overflows Taskforce

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the paragraph on Meetings in the Storm Overflows Taskforce Terms of Reference, how many times the Storm Overflows Taskforce has met since its introduction; and when the taskforce (a) last met and (b) is due to meet next.

Rebecca Pow: The Storm Overflows Task Force was set up in 2020 with the objective of developing proposals to reduce the frequency and impact of sewage discharges. The Taskforce supported the design and development of the Government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan. This was published in August 2022. The Task Force has therefore not met since as it has met its initial goal in the publication of the Plan. We intend to seek the input of the Taskforce in future when reviewing the delivery programme of the Plan as part of the next water industry Price Review which will commence in 2025.

Horticulture

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage food growth in the horticulture sector.

Mark Spencer: An innovative, productive, and competitive agricultural sector is one of HM Government's key priorities, it is crucial to the resilience of our food system as well as an important part of our wider economy, and we are committed to supporting it. At last month’s Farm to Fork Summit we announced a wide range of measures to support the horticulture sector, including a replacement Fruit & Vegetables Aid Scheme for England from 2026, expanding the scheme to ensure that more growers, including those involved in Controlled Environment Horticulture such as glasshouses, are able to benefit. This improved scheme will play a vital role in our farming reforms and help increase domestic horticulture production. Also announced was a review of the horticulture supply chain to help ensure farmers are paid a fair price for their produce. Defra regularly engages with the horticulture industry to understand what support they need to continue to produce great food. Our discussions with industry representatives, help inform future policy development and help us understand what support the sector needs to help it thrive.

Livestock: Exports

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will set out a timetable for bringing forward a ban on live exports.

Mark Spencer: We remain committed to ending the export of live animals for fattening and slaughter. There have not been any live exports for fattening or slaughter since 2020 and we want to make this permanent. Parliamentary business will be announced in the usual way.

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice: Artificial Intelligence

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Government's publication A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation, published on 29 March 2023, how much and what proportion of the budget of each regulator in their Department was spent on regulation of artificial intelligence in the latest period for which information is available; how many staff in each regulator worked (a) wholly and (b) partly on those issues in the latest period for which information is available; and whether those regulators plan to increase resources for their work on artificial intelligence.

Mike Freer: The AI White Paper emphasised the importance of ensuring that UK regulators and public bodies have the capacity, expertise, and capabilities to implement government’s pro-innovation approach whilst recognising and understanding the risks. This is particularly true for those regulators for which AI falls squarely within their regulatory remit, but also applies to a much wider range of public and regulatory bodies considering the implications AI has across the economy. Legal services regulation is independent of Government and is overseen by the Legal Services Board (LSB) which is an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body of the MoJ. The LSB has a role to play in effectively regulating the use of AI. The LSB uses its resources flexibly to deliver the range of activities in its business plan. The LSB estimates that it deploys the equivalent of two policy and one research team members to work on technology and innovation, representing approximately £150,000 in staff costs and £50,000 in research annually. The LSB’s work on technology and innovation encompasses work on AI. The LSB continually assesses how best to deploy its resources to respond to emerging issues in a proportionate and effective way.

Coroners: Somerset

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the time taken to process cases by the Somerset Coroners Court; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of staff in the Somerset Coroners' Service have been remote working in each of the last 12 months.

Mike Freer: The Coroner Statistics 2022: England and Wales, published on 11 May 2023, indicate that, for the Somerset coroner area in 2022, the average time from the report of a death to the coroner and the completion of an inquest was 31 weeks. This was an increase from 23 weeks in 2021. In 2022, the average time for completion of an inquest in England and Wales as a whole was 30 weeks – a decrease from 31 weeks in 2021. The Ministry of Justice does not have operational responsibility for coroner services, which are administered and funded by individual local authorities. Consequently, this department does not hold information on remote working by staff in the Somerset coroner service. The Chief Coroner continues to work with individual coroner areas and their funding authorities and the police to ensure that services are effectively delivered. He is engaged with the relevant authority for the Somerset coroner area on service improvements.

Drugs: Crime

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were convicted of drug-dealing offences in each of the last five years.

Damian Hinds: The Ministry of Justice holds data on individuals convicted of drug offences on a principal offence, principal disposal basis, covering the period requested. This is publicly available and can be viewed in Outcomes by Offence tool: 2022. Information on the number of individuals convicted of drug offences at all courts can be found in the above tool by navigating to the ‘Prosecutions and convictions’ tab. In the ‘Offence’ filter, select the below offences for the main four offences related to drug dealing: ‘92A.09 Production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug - Class A''92A.10 Production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug - Class B''92A.11 Production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug - Class C''92A.12 Production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug - unknown class'

Criminal Proceedings: Evidence

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications to admit bad character into evidence against defendants were (a) made to and (b) allowed by, Crown Courts in England and Wales in trials for (i) rape and (ii) sexual assault in each of the last five calendar years.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications to admit bad character into evidence against (a) witnesses and (b) defendants in criminal trials were (i) made to and (ii) allowed by (A) Crown and (B) Magistrates Courts in England and Wales in each of the last five calendar years.

Edward Argar: This information is not collected from the Crown Court and is collected but not held centrally for magistrates’ courts. Therefore, the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence

Air Force: Recruitment

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure Royal Air Force selection boards do not discriminate against new recruits on the basis of skin colour.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Royal Air Force (RAF) Selection Boards recruit candidates in a non-biased and fair way, based on their ability to serve in the RAF. The RAF will continue striving to recruit the best people from the widest talent pool in the UK, assessing candidates on their individual merit, and ensuring they meet the required standards to join the RAF.

National Security: Cybersecurity

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2023 to Question 129727 on National Security: Cybersecurity, if he will provide updated figures for the financial years (a) 2022-2023 and (b) 2023-2024.

James Cartlidge: The following number of capability delivery milestones were delivered for the Joint Crypt Key Programme in Financial Years (FY) 2022-23 and 2023-24. FY2022-23FY2023-2451 I would be happy to offer the right hon. Member a briefing at a higher classification.

RFA Wave Knight and RFA Wave Ruler

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has for the future of (a) RFA Wave Knight and (b) RFA Wave Ruler.

James Cartlidge: Both RFA WAVE KNIGHT and RFA WAVE RULER were placed into Extended Readiness in 2022 and 2017 respectively. The option to re-activate is kept under review.

RFA Wave Knight and RFA Wave Ruler

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the expected out of service date for (a) RFA Wave Knight and (b) RFA Wave Ruler (i) is as of 12 June 2023 and (ii) was when it came into service.

James Cartlidge: Both Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Wave Knight and RFA Wave Ruler are programmed to be in Extended Readiness until 2028 in His Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth and Liverpool respectively, under the care and custody of RFA cluster management.Individual ship out of service dates are not released to preserve the operational security of the fleet.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many days did each vessel in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary spend at sea in each year since 2015.

James Cartlidge: I will write to the right hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Royal Navy's operational staffing levels for Wave class tankers.

James Cartlidge: The Royal Fleety Auxiliary continues to deliver against its commitments for defence, and adjusts its workforce structure accordingly to meet the current and future operating plan.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

South Africa: China

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the level of political influence that the Chinese government has in the SADC Region of Southern Africa.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK recognises that China is an important source of aid, trade and investment for many countries in Southern Africa. We are working with partners, including the G7, to ensure low and middle income countries have an alternative to strategic dependence on China or any other country. The UK offers wide-ranging partnerships to Southern African countries that deliver for mutual benefit and support a freer, safer, healthier, greener and more prosperous continent. Through British Investment Partnerships, we are providing honest, reliable investment that creates jobs, boosts economic growth and draws countries closer to major free-market democracies.

Africa: Higher Education

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of research collaborations between UK universities and stakeholders in Africa on the level of UK influence in that continent.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We have a strong record of collaboration in science and technology with a history of using our scientific strengths, world-renowned finance and tech sectors, and global partnerships to uncover solutions to global challenges. We have witnessed first-hand the effectiveness of scientific collaboration during the covid-19 pandemic and how transparency can open diplomatic dialogue and accelerate solutions to our shared problems. We have decades of partnership with Africa's leading universities and science institutions including the Science Foundation for Africa with support to 14 consortia with 75 institutions across 36 countries in Africa including countries in the Sahel. These research partnerships can help to open doors to more complex diplomatic conversations on issues like freedom and democracy, and LGBT rights.

Africa: Higher Education

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the role of scientific research collaborations with African institutions in supporting the International Development Strategy and the Science and Technology Framework.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Science and technology play a vital role in helping deliver against the UK's development and diplomatic priorities, and contribute to resilience by tackling global challenges. We work with partners across Government to strengthen equitable UK-Africa scientific collaborations and ensure the power of science delivers impactful and transformative change. The UK is a proud advocate for Open Science, deploying our world class expertise to drive open standards for critical and emerging technologies while protecting research security. We have dedicated teams across the continent, including in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, who coordinate our research and investment across His Majesty's Government with other major funders such as Department for Science Innovation and Technology, Department for Environment. Food and Rural Affairs, and Department of Health and Social Care, and deliver our mutual objectives aligned with the International Development Strategy and the Science and Technology Framework.

Eritrea: UN Human Rights Council

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish a response to Early Day Motion 1253, Eritrea and the UN Human Rights Council, tabled on 5 June 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We continue to take an active interest in the human rights situation in Eritrea and particularly press for national service reform and the end of arbitrary detentions, including for those detentions based on religion or belief. All of those who have been unfairly and unjustly incarcerated must be released. We urge implementation of the recommendations from the last Universal Periodic Review for Eritrea in 2019, and respect for the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Eritrea. We will be making a statement to this effect at the UN Human Rights Council's 53rd Session during an Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur.

Oxfam: Humanitarian Aid

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much UK aid has been allocated to Oxfam in each year since 2017.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Statistics on International Development (SID) is the official source of data on UK Official Development Assistance (ODA). SID only reports the first delivery partner in the delivery chain (first tier delivery partner), in line with The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reporting directives, therefore the figures below do not capture funding to Oxfam where it is a delivery partner further down the delivery chain. The amount of UK bilateral ODA given to Oxfam as a first-tier delivery partner from 2017-2021 (the latest year for which data has been published) is shown in the table below.Table 1: Total UK bilateral ODA (£) to Oxfam as first-tier delivery partner (2017-2021)20172018201920202021£10,017,499£11,785,871£10,826,373£999,657£681,803Source: Statistics for International Development https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development

Pakistan: Trials

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his international counterparts on whether Pakistan has adequately complied with international human rights law when trying civilians before military courts.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government has raised the use of the Pakistan Army Act to try civilians with the Government of Pakistan, urging them to ensure they act in line with international human rights law, including the right to a fair trial. We will continue to seek opportunities to reinforce these messages.

Kakhovka Dam

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of the destruction of the Khakovka dam on (a) global food production and prices, (b) hydroelectric energy output in Ukraine, (c) displacement of people and (d) the environment.

Leo Docherty: At least 80 communities and 40,000 people are affected by floodwater. Damage to homes, infrastructure and agriculture will affect thousands more. Water and energy supplies are disrupted. Floodwaters have become contaminated with oil, petrol, and other chemicals, as well as dislodging mines. Our partners are working hand in hand with the Emergency Services to evacuate people and provide vital relief. We judge there will be an impact on wheat production, with risks to food security and livelihoods. The UK is providing £16 million to the UN and Red Cross to help civilians, including those affected by the flooding and others in humanitarian need in Ukraine.

Morocco: Food

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made of an assessment of trends in the level of food prices in Morocco.

David Rutley: As is standard practice, the British Embassy in Morocco tracks local economic movements, including food price inflation. The UK and Morocco discuss trade in foodstuffs within the context of the UK-Morocco Association Agreement. The UK Government is aware, including through these discussions, of the impact of poor weather earlier this year on the harvest, leading to the price of some goods increasing. DEFRA Minister the Rt Hon. the Lord Benyon recently visited Morocco and signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen collaboration in the agricultural sector, which we hope will support better mitigation of climate risks.

Members: Correspondence

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to respond to the emails from the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion of 23 May, 25 May and 7 June 2023 on the impending execution of Mohmmad Ghobadloo in Iran; what discussions and contact his Department has had with Iran's Chargé d'Affaires on that case; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: A response to the email dated 23 May is in process and we aim to respond within 20 working days as per the Cabinet Office guidelines. The FCDO have no record of the emails dated 25 May and 7 June. Please can these be resent to FCDO.Correspondence@fcdo.gov.uk.The UK Government is firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and every country, including Iran. We raise our objections to executions of protesters at all appropriate opportunities, including with the Iranian Embassy in London and through our Ambassador in Tehran. On 19 May the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon condemned Iran's continued use of the death penalty to instil fear and suppress dissent. On 9 January and 8 December, the Foreign Secretary ordered the summoning of Iran's most senior diplomat in the UK, to protest Iran's continued imposition of the death penalty on protesters. We will continue to work closely with our international partners to ensure Iran is held to account on the world stage.

UN Resolutions: Radicalism

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the draft resolution on Human Fraternity which the UK plans to co-table with the United Arab Emirates at the United Nations Security Council complies with established practice on terminology regarding violent extremism.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK co-penned the landmark UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution with the UAE on 'Tolerance and International Peace and Security'. The resolution addresses discrimination and incitement, including that faced by members of marginalised groups, in conflict settings. We have worked carefully to ensure that all uses of "extremism" are appropriately caveated; by describing acts of extremism that contribute to conflict, or requiring that actions to address that extremism be compliant with international law. This resolution highlights the risks of incitement, hate speech and extremism in causing and exacerbating conflict - a context in which the UNSC has previously used the term "extremism" or "extremist".

World Bank: Seeds

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that World Bank negotiation of Development Policy Financing takes account of seed laws.

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what funding his Department provides to the World Bank to support a shift to sustainable agricultural production in low-income countries.

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of World Bank (a) policies on and (b) investment in agriculture on (i) reducing poverty and (ii) increasing food security.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The World Bank has helped protect farmers, local production, and food security in developing countries. The Bank advocates the use of quality seeds and is planning major investments in green fertiliser production. An efficient national agricultural innovation system and an effective seed certification system is essential to meet the challenges agriculture faces in developing countries. The UK is supporting this longer-term goal to do both, boost food security, incomes, and climate adaptation and resilience. The World Bank has committed to full alignment of all its sovereign lending with the Paris Agreement by 1 July 2023. We are holding the Bank to account through the Board.

Developing Countries: Food Supply

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support farmer seed systems in the Global South.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The FCDO supports the global research organisation, the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR), to support seed systems to improve access of smallholder farmers to more productive and climate-resilient varieties. The CGIAR builds capacity of national research and extension systems and seed organisations to ensure uptake of public-bred varieties and other innovations. The FCDO also supports the operation of the CGIAR genebanks that hold over 700,000 crop varieties, making these available free of charge to support the development of new crop varieties. The genebanks are managed jointly with the Global Crop Diversity Trust and in line with the International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. In 2021 CGIAR distributed almost 100,000 samples to users, 50 per cent of which were to developing countries.

Education: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 March 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Knowledge & Education Evidence Products Grant.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Knowledge and Education Evidence Products (KEEP) programme has consistently delivered against its outputs and outcomes, earning A and A+ scores on Annual programme reviews. The programme helps amplify the UK's position as a global leader on education research. It also supports the FCDO's and global partner's wider education research portfolio through its evidence synthesis work and is crucial to the delivery of education Key Performance Indicators.The KEEP programme has supported the establishment of the Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel, the first independent expert panel in education, convened to help governments in low-income countries make evidence based and cost-effective decisions to improve education systems. KEEP has also supported the Building Evidence in Education Network an international network of education research funders, that improve coordination and collaboration across donors and develop guidance to improve the quality of evidence in education.

Bilateral Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish the (a) criteria and (b) process used by his Department for making decisions on bilateral country aid allocations.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Ministers make decisions on bilateral country aid allocations informed by a range of modelling and information sources, including humanitarian need, geopolitical prioritisation, and the ability for a country to make effective use of aid and self-finance its own poverty reduction, in line with the International Development Strategy (IDS) commitment to "channel the majority of our Official Development Assistance (ODA) towards low-income countries".To manage reductions in ODA allocations, Ministers provided steers to the organisation, guided by the priorities set out in the IDS, while ensuring we meet our financial commitments to multilateral organisations. Ministers reviewed proposed allocations against both development impacts and equalities impact assessments and made adjustments accordingly.We plan to publish our ODA allocations by country in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts 2022 to 2023 this year.

Diego Garcia: Asylum

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of conditions for asylum seekers in Diego Garcia; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: The Administration of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) provides accommodation, food, communications and dedicated 24/7 medical support, as well as educational and welfare facilities to the migrants in Diego Garcia. The facilities and support offered to the migrants are continuously reviewed and enhanced as required. BIOT does not have an asylum system. Migrants' claims for protection are considered in line with BIOT law and international legal obligations.

Vietnam: Detainees

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Vietnamese counterpart to press for the immediate release of (a) Hoang Thi Minh Hong and (b) other detained climate activists; and if he will make a statement.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We regularly raise the treatment of activists and human rights defenders in Vietnam. The Minister for Indo-Pacific raised the case of Hoang Thi Minh Hong with her counterpart Vice Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang at the UK-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue meeting in London on 12 June. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has also made a public statement expressing concern at the arrest. We continue to monitor the situation in Vietnam and make the case for working in partnership with NGOs.

Greece: EOKA

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Greek Cypriot counterpart on the President's recent statements on the historic role of the Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston.

Leo Docherty: The Foreign Secretary has not had any recent discussions with his  Cypriot counterpart on President Christodoulides's recent statements on the historic role of the Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston (EOKA/eɪˈoʊkə). The UK Government deeply regrets the suffering endured by both communities as a result of inter-communal violence during the Cyprus Emergency (1955-1959). We continue to believe a just and lasting settlement on the island is the best chance of resolving these complex issues. The UK's commitment to helping the sides achieve this remains unwavering.

Women and Equalities

Disability: Employment

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the statutory safeguards to prevent people with disabilities being overlooked for promotion in employment.

Stuart Andrew: The Equality Act 2010 states that it is unlawful direct discrimination for an employer to treat a disabled employee less favourably than one who does not have a disability. This would include decisions on promotion within an organisation.The 2010 Act additionally places a reasonable adjustment duty on employers that could be relevant to how a promotion exercise is conducted, for example ensuring job application forms are accessible to visually impaired employees and job interviews are accessible to the deaf or hard of hearing.The 2010 Act also enables employers to take positive action to increase the number of senior managers who are disabled, where this is disproportionately low. For example, where two candidates are equally qualified for a role and one is disabled, positive action allows the employer to select the disabled candidate.Where disabled employees, as defined under the 2010 Act, feel that they have been unfairly passed over for promotion, they may discuss their concerns with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), which provides authoritative and impartial advice free to employees or employers in relation to employment discrimination issues via their website (http://www.acas.org.uk) and telephone helpline 0300 123 1100 or text relayservice to 18001 0300 123 1100. Acas also provides employees and employers with Early Conciliation to help them resolve/settle their workplace dispute without going to court.

Home Office

Asylum: Applications

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June to Question 188086 on Asylum: Applications, how many of these applicants (a) have received support from the Overseas Development Aid budget and (b) continue to receive support from the Overseas Development Aid budget.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office does not categorise data on ODA spend in such a way that is possible to answer this question. All ODA spend is calculated in line with the OECD DAC rules.

Stalking: Court Orders

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many stalking protection orders were issued in each of the last five years; and what proportion of stalking cases reported to the police resulted in a stalking protection order in each of those years.

Miss Sarah Dines: Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs) were introduced on 20 January 2020 to protect victims of stalking at the earliest possible opportunity and address the perpetrator’s behaviours before they become entrenched or escalate in severity, by placing restrictions and requirements on those perpetrating stalking behaviours. From February 2020 to December 2020, 413 Stalking Protection Orders (245 interim and 168 full orders) were issued in England and Wales. From January 2021 to December 2021, 583 (330 interim and 253 full orders) were issued in England and Wales. These statistics can be found here: Management information: Stalking Protection Orders - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), alongside a review which the Home Office conducted of how SPOs operated during their first 12 months. We aim to publish data on Stalking Protection Orders for 2022 and 2023 in due course. Data is not available on the proportion of stalking cases reported to the police which resulted in a Stalking Protection Order.

National Age Assessment Board

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the launch of the National Age Assessment Board on 31 March, what assessment criteria will be used to determine whether the work of the Board has been effective during its first phase in London and the West Midlands prior to any decision to roll out that work nationwide.

Robert Jenrick: The National Age Assessment Board (NAAB) is in the process of recruiting and training suitably experienced social workers who can carry out age assessments on behalf of the Home Office and will expand into wider regions as social worker capacity builds up. We will continue to review and monitor the impact of this Board.

Passports: Applications

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is taking steps to reduce the time taken for passport applications to be processed.

Robert Jenrick: People are receiving their passports in good time. Between January and May 2023, 99.4% of customers using the standard UK service received their passport within the published processing timeframe of ten weeks.

Visas: Ukraine

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to permit Ukrainian nationals to stay in the UK beyond the three-year limit of existing visas.

Robert Jenrick: We firmly believe that Ukraine will be safe again and we will continue to support the Ukrainian Government for as long as is necessary in their efforts against Putin.Therefore, our approach has been to provide Ukrainians with access to a three-year visa for temporary sanctuary in the UK. This has given them the certainty and stability they need whilst they are here to settle into jobs, and find schooling and accommodation.Of course, we keep any future need for an extension of leave in the UK under review, in line with developments of the situation in Ukraine.

Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme: Northern Ireland

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the clandestine entrant civil penalty scheme applies to (a) heavy goods vehicles, (b) accompanied trailers, (c) unaccompanied trailers and (d) coaches travelling from Northern Ireland (i) directly and (ii) indirectly to Great Britain.

Robert Jenrick: The Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty Scheme does apply to (a) heavy goods vehicles, (b) accompanied trailers, (c) unaccompanied trailers and (d) coaches travelling from Northern Ireland indirectly to Great Britain.It does not apply to vehicles travelling from Northern Ireland directly to Great Britain.

Treasury

Treasury: Consultants

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have been seconded to his Department from (a) accountancy and (b) consultancy companies in each year since 2010.

Gareth Davies: HMT has seconded in; (a) 19 people from accountancy companies since 2010(b) 14 people from consultancy companies since 2010

Treasury: Darlington

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times he has visited the Darlington Economic Campus.

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has visited the Darlington Economic Campus.

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times the Financial Secretary to the Treasury has visited the Darlington Economic Campus.

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times the Economic Secretary to the Treasury has visited the Darlington Economic Campus.

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury has visited the Darlington Economic Campus.

Gareth Davies: All HM Treasury offices are open and available for use and Ministers attend both the London and Darlington offices as required to support departmental business.

Schools: Uniforms

Munira Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the revenue generated by charging VAT on school uniforms designed for children aged 14 or over in each of the last five years.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of categorising uniforms as zero-rated for VAT.

Victoria Atkins: The requested information on VAT revenues is not available. HMRC does not hold information on VAT revenue from specific products because businesses are not required to provide figures at a product level on their VAT returns, as this would impose an excessive administrative burden.

Schools: Uniforms

Munira Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of zero-rating for VAT school uniforms designed for children aged 14 or over.

Victoria Atkins: Under the current VAT rules, all children’s clothing and footwear designed for young children who are less than 14 years of age, including school uniforms, attract a zero-rate of VAT, meaning that no VAT is charged on the sale of these items. In addition, certain school uniform items may also benefit from a zero rate of VAT irrespective of size. For instance, garments which bear a prominent logo, crest or badge identifying them as part of the official uniform of schools catering exclusively for children under 14 years of age can be zero-rated. The UK is one of only two countries among the 37 OECD member countries to maintain a VAT relief for children’s clothing, which costs the Exchequer £2 billion per year. Going further would impose additional pressure on the public finances, to which VAT makes a significant contribution. Whilst we have no current plans to extend the existing zero rate, we nevertheless keep all taxes under review.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Ben Lake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the level of staffing assigned to the HMRC National Insurance helpline.

Victoria Atkins: The HMRC Personal Tax (PT) Operations unit is responsible of administering the National Insurance (NI) Helpdesk and they typically have not kept staffing numbers for specific helplines since they employ a variable workforce model, where their staff may switch between answering phones, processing correspondence, and replying to webchat inquiries throughout the day.  For your reference, information about the PT Operation unit's performance in terms of customer service going back to 2016 is included in the HMRC's quarterly performance reports on GOV.UK.GOV.UK link to HMRC quarterly performance reports: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports#reporting-year-2022-to-2023.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many sewage leaks were recorded within the estate managed by HMRC in the last twelve months.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC has not recorded any sewage leaks across its estate in the last twelve months.

Retail Trade: Business Rates

Julian Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Expanded Retail Discount grant.

Victoria Atkins: In 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government provided an expanded retail discount scheme in England worth £16 billion: In 2020-2021, an unprecedented business rates holiday worth £10 billion was provided for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties and nurseries. This measure was specifically designed to help these businesses through the worst of the pandemic. In 2021-2022, eligible RHL businesses benefitted from further business rates relief worth over £6 billion. This included a three-month extension of the 2020-2021 business rates holiday, followed by 66 per cent relief with a cap of £2 million for business that were required to close on 5 January 2020, and a cap of £105,000 for businesses that were permitted to open. Together, these packages ensured that eligible RHL properties paid no business rates for 15 months from 1 April 2020, and over 90 per cent of businesses saw a 75 per cent reduction in their business rates bill across the 2021-2022 financial year.

Treasury: Artificial Intelligence

Lucy Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Government's publication A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation, published on 29 March 2023, how much and what proportion of the budget of each regulator in their Department was spent on regulation of artificial intelligence in the latest period for which information is available; how many staff in each regulator worked (a) wholly and (b) partly on those issues in the latest period for which information is available; and whether those regulators plan to increase resources for their work on artificial intelligence.

Andrew Griffith: The AI White Paper emphasised the importance of ensuring that UK regulators and public bodies have the capacity, expertise, and capabilities to implement government’s pro-innovation approach whilst recognising and understanding the risks. This is particularly true for those regulators for which AI falls squarely within their regulatory remit, but also applies to a much wider range of public and regulatory bodies considering the implications AI has across the economy, including the financial services regulators. The Financial Conduct Authority, the Prudential Regulation Authority, the Bank of England in its regulation of certain financial market infrastructure, and the Payment Systems Regulator, are independent non-governmental bodies responsible for regulating and supervising the financial services industry. Although the Treasury sets the legal framework for the regulation of financial services, the regulators are responsible for developing and implementing rules, including relating to AI, and determining appropriate levels resourcing. As part of the AI regulation White Paper consultation, the government is engaging closely with the regulators to understand the organisational capacity they need to regulate AI effectively, across technical, regulatory, and market-specific expertise. I have asked the financial services regulators to respond to you directly on their resourcing for AI regulation.

Credit: Interest Rates

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of interest charged by payday loan companies.

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to regulate the interest rates offered by payday loan providers.

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to help people in debt as a result of interest being accrued on pay day loans.

Andrew Griffith: The Government does not hold data on the trends in the level of interest charged by payday loan companies. However, the Government believes that consumers should be protected from unfair costs in the payday lending market. That is why the Government legislated to require the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to introduce a cap on the cost of payday loans. This came into force in January 2015 and means that payday loans have a total cost cap of 100%, ensuring that consumers never need to pay back more than twice the sum they have borrowed. This cap also includes a daily interest cap of 0.8%, lowering prices for borrowers who pay back loans on time. The FCA has also conducted a review of the cap. In July 2017 it released a Feedback Statement as part of its review of the high-cost credit market. This showed that the payday cap has been effective, leading to total savings of approximately £150 million for the 760,000 individuals using payday loans each year, and highlighted that many payday lenders lend at well below the 100% total cost cap. Overall, the review concluded that consumers pay less, repay on time more often, and are less likely to need help from debt charities. More broadly, the FCA requires regulated lenders to treat customers fairly when they are in financial difficulty. FCA guidance sets out that firms should provide support through tailored forbearance options for borrowers which ensures they receive the most appropriate and sustainable support for the long-term, including payment holidays where these are in the interest of the consumer. On 25 May 2023, the FCA published a consultation on how it plans to incorporate aspects of this tailored support guidance into its rules. The consultation can be found here: https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/consultation-papers/cp23-13-strengthening-protections-borrowers-financial-difficulty-consumer-credit-mortgages For people in problem debt who do need help, the Government continues to maintain record levels of funding for free-to-client debt advice in England, bringing the 2023-24 debt advice budget for the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) to £92.7 million. MaPS is the single largest funder of debt advice in England. It works alongside partners across the UK to make debt advice easier and quicker to access, and to improve standards and quality across the sector. In addition to this, the Breathing Space scheme which launched in England and Wales in 2021, offers people in problem debt a period of protection of up to 60 days on most enforcement action, interest, fees and charges, and encourages them to seek professional debt advice. As of May 2023 over 130,000 people have accessed the scheme’s vital protections.

Development Aid

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of increasing the level of the overseas aid budget to 0.7 per cent of GDP.

John Glen: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 June 2023 to Question 188649. [https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-06-08/188649].

Housing Benefit: Northern Ireland

Claire Hanna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 9 of his Department's Guidance on decision-making for Northern Ireland Departments until an Executive is formed or for the six month period beginning with the day on which the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2022 is passed (6 December), published on 19 December 2022, CP 766, for what reason an increase in Housing Benefit Annually Managed Expenditure was granted to the Department for Communities in February 2023.

John Glen: The UK Government funds Northern Ireland Executive Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) programmes if they offer broadly similar terms to the equivalent UK Government programme. As AME programmes are usually demand led, AME forecasts are periodically updated to ensure necessary funding is provided.

Public Sector: Population

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made a recent impact assessment of the effects of population growth on public services.

John Glen: The OBR examine the impact of demographic trends on the public finances over the long-term. Its 2022 projections show that an ageing population places upward pressure on health, adult social care, and pension related spending. Without any action, the sum of these spending areas is projected to increase by around 11 percentage points as a share of GDP between 2026-27 and 2071-72. To manage meet these longer-term spending pressures and maintain high quality public services, we must plan for how we move to a more productive state. To support this the Chancellor has recently announced a major public sector productivity programme that will assess what is required to increase productivity growth in the short and long-term, which I will lead across all government departments. We will report on progress in the Autumn.

Employment: Finance

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Table 6.6 of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis 2022, if he will provide a breakdown of the £2.5 billion projected to be spent on employment policies in 2024-25.

John Glen: As plans data is provisional and subject to change, outturn only is provided in the table below. The table shows underlying data that is consistent with PESA 2022 table 6.6: Central government own current and capital spending on employment policies by department group and by segment programme, 2017-18 to 2021-22£ millionSpending FunctionDepartment GroupSegment2017-18 Outturn2018-19 Outturn2019-20 Outturn2020-21 Outturn2021-22 OutturnCurrent expenditure on employment policiesCabinet OfficeS010EHR1 - COMMISSION FOR EQUALITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS (ALB)110171717 S010GEO1 - GOVERNMENT EQUALITIES OFFICE110000Cabinet Office Total 220171717Business, Energy and Industrial StrategyS084A094-ACAS5155545656 Other spending52222Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Total 5656565858Work and PensionsS032A001-EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMMES383272230260733 S032A074-LABOUR MARKET - OPERATIONAL DELIVERY9628799051,1091,176 S032A085-LABOUR MARKET-CORPORATE804501488619651 S032A105-KICKSTART0000853 Other spending205789469407509Work and Pensions Total 2,3542,4412,0922,3953,924Foreign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeS030A244- GOVERNMENT EQUALITIES OFFICE018000Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Total 018000Home OfficeS034A006-GOVERNMENT EQUALITIES OFFICE021000Home Office Total 021000Northern IrelandS099A018-EMPLOYMENT AND SKILLS - EMPLOYMENT SERVICES2119181419 S099A022-LABOUR MARKET SERVICES4659483957 S099A024-BUSINESS REGULATION/SUPPORT1317202124Northern Ireland Total 80968674100CURRENT Total 2,5122,6322,2532,5434,098

Government Departments: Employment

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Table 6.6 on Central government own current and capital expenditure on services by function, 2017-18 to 2024-25, of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2022, published on 20 July 2022, if he will publish a breakdown by Department of planned spending on Economic affairs, of which: employment policies.

John Glen: As plans data is provisional and subject to change, outturn only is provided in the table below. The table shows PESA 2022 table 6.6 data for Economic affairs broken down by department:  Central government own current and capital spending on employment policies by department group, 2017-18 to 2021-22£ millionSpending FunctionDepartment Group2017-18 Outturn2018-19 Outturn2019-20 Outturn2020-21 Outturn2021-22 OutturnCurrent expenditure on employment policiesCabinet Office22171717Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy5656565858Education0Work and Pensions2,3542,4412,0922,3953,924Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office180Home Office21Northern Ireland80968674100Wales0CURRENT Total 2,5122,6322,2532,5434,098Capital expenditure on employment policiesCabinet Office000Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy11110Work and Pensions10344074121Northern Ireland02112CAPITAL Total 10547277124Grand Total 2,6172,6792,2542,6204,222

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Solar Power: Planning Permission

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the requirement to apply for a lawful development certificate to install solar panels on the number of solar panels installed.

Rachel Maclean: There are existing permitted development rights which allow for installation of solar equipment on and within the curtilages of domestic and commercial premises without having to make a planning application. The rights are set out in Part 14 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, as amended.There is no requirement under the regulations to seek a lawful development certificate from the local authority before installing solar panels. However, this is something that a homeowner may decide to do in order to obtain written confirmation that any such proposals are lawful for planning purposes.

Land Registry: Applications

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the average time is for an HM Land Registry Application Enquiry to be processed; and what steps he is taking to reduce it.

Rachel Maclean: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 187953 on 14 June 2023.

Park Homes: Sales

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to respond to the report commissioned by his Department entitled The impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission, published in June 2022.

Rachel Maclean: The report makes four recommendations which require more detailed consideration and further engagement with the sector to fully understand the impact of any change and ensure the long term viability of the sector.We will publish our response in due course.

Tenancy Agreements

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, for what reasons does the Renters Reform Bill not make reference to three-year fixed rental agreements.

Rachel Maclean: I refer the Hon. Member to my remarks during the debate titled Private Rented Sector: Regulation on 24 May 2023 (Official Report, Volume 733, Column 123WH).

Building Regulations: Carbon Emissions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Answer of 9 March 2023 to Question 156238 on Building Regulations: Carbon Emissions, what his Department’s planned timescale is for launching a consultation on the Government’s approach to embodied carbon.

Lee Rowley: Announcements will be set out in the usual way.

Playgrounds: Disability

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to take steps to increase the number of playgrounds that are accessible to disabled children.

Dehenna Davison: Through our national design guidance we encourage public spaces, including play areas, to be designed in an accessible and inclusive way.The department is investing £9 million through the Levelling Up Parks Fund to regenerate green spaces across the UK as part of our Levelling Up agenda.The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will also play a role in enabling local authorities to develop parks and open spaces to create greater pride in place through cleaner, greener and safer spaces, if places chose to fund these interventions.The Government is currently developing its Disability Action Plan, which will set out the immediate action it will take in 2023 and 2024 to improve disabled people's lives, as well as laying the foundations for longer term change.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Charities: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she is taking steps to financially support charities which have increased service demand in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she is taking steps to provide financial support to charities in (a) Enfield North Constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London in the context of the rise in energy prices.

Stuart Andrew: The Government has taken action to support charities across the country.The Energy Bill Relief Scheme provided charities and voluntary organisations with support for their energy bills up to 31 March 2023, and they continue to receive support under the Energy Bill Discount Scheme.As announced in the Spring Budget, the Government will provide over £100 million of support for charities and community organisations. This will be targeted towards those organisations most at risk from cost of living pressures, due to increased demand and higher delivery costs, as well as providing investment in energy efficiency. The funding will be open for applications from across England, including from charities in Enfield North constituency, the London Borough of Enfield and London.Work is underway to finalise the delivery time frames and eligibility criteria. Further details will be announced as soon as possible.

Youth Services

Peter Aldous: What steps her Department is taking to support the provision of youth services.

Stuart Andrew: This Government knows the importance of youth services.We have guaranteed that by 2025, every young person in England will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and volunteering opportunities.This is supported by over £500 million of investment in youth services.The National Youth Guarantee has already supported over 100,000 young people to develop skills for life and work and support their mental and physical wellbeing.

Lotteries: Charities

Sir Desmond Swayne: What representations she has received on increasing fundraising limits for charity lotteries.

Stuart Andrew: I have received representations about society lottery limits from a range of stakeholders, including society lottery operators, charities and national lottery stakeholders.

Gambling

Duncan Baker: What recent discussions she has had with the Gambling Commission on the potential impact on prize draws and competitions of the provisions in the gambling white paper.

Stuart Andrew: The Secretary of State announced in the white paper that the government would explore the potential for regulating the largest prize draws and competitions that sit outside of gambling regulation.The Gambling Commission monitors products such as those which sit outside the boundary of regulated gambling.We are working closely with Gambling Commission on implementing the white paper, including gathering evidence and considering options on prize draws.

Television Licences

Stephen Metcalfe: What plans she has for the future of the TV licence.

Philip Davies: If she will take steps to end the TV licence.

Sir John Whittingdale: The BBC's funding model faces major challenges to its sustainability due to changes in the way people consume media.We remain committed to reviewing the licence fee model ahead of the next Charter period to explore the potential for alternative ways to ensure the BBC remains appropriately funded over the long-term.

Department for Business and Trade

Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will set an implementation date prior to 2025 of the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill.

Kevin Hollinrake: We are committed to introducing Neonatal Care Leave and Pay as quickly as possible. Work is ongoing across Government to deliver these new entitlements. Delivery requires updates to HMRC IT systems and parliamentary consideration of a significant amount of secondary legislation, which will take approximately 18 months. It is also necessary to align the ‘go live’ date with the start of a tax year. This means April 2025 is the earliest date for the introduction of Neonatal Care Leave and Pay.

Department for Transport

Road Traffic Control

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact on economic growth of switching from fixed time to part time signals at roundabouts.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department has made no current assessment. Decisions on whether to signalise roundabouts, including whether they operate on a part-time basis, are for traffic authorities at individual locations. I would be happy to discuss specific examples with the Rt Hon. Member.

Railways: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the (a) 2020, (b) 2021, (c) 2022 and (d) 2023 updates to the Rail Networks Enhancement Pipeline.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2020 to Question 88860 and with reference to the Rail Networks Enhancement Pipeline most recently published on 16 October 2019, whether it remains his policy that the Rail Networks Enhancement Pipeline will be published on an annual basis.

Huw Merriman: Following the Autumn Statement and the Budget, we are in the process of reviewing the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) with a view to publishing a single portfolio update. In the current economic context, it is more important than ever for the enhancement schemes we take forward to be affordable and respond to changes in demand for travel, including as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are therefore taking the proper time to review the rail enhancement portfolio to ensure the schemes within it reflect the current priorities. We will make a single, up to date outcome public once work is complete. The Government is committed to providing transparency of the rail enhancement pipeline, to provide clarity on the progress of projects and visibility to the rail industry and wider supply chain on the forward programme of work. We recognise updates to the portfolio have not taken place annually since 2019, given the pandemic and successive fiscal events. Moving forward, we intend to review with involvement from industry and the supply chain, how best to provide regular updates on the rail enhancements portfolio which allows them to plan ahead.

Railways: Expenditure

Mr Rob Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the enhancement spending for the (a) network in England and Wales and (b) Wales Route was in Control Periods (i) 4, (ii) 5 and (iii) 6.

Mr Rob Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what he plans the enhancement spending for the (a) network in England and Wales and (b) Wales Route to be in Control Periods (i) 7 and (ii) 8.

Mr Rob Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the Rail network enhancements pipeline spending for the (a) network in England and Wales and (b) Wales Route was in Control Periods (i) 4, (ii) 5 and (iii) 6; and what he expects that spending on that network and that Route to be in Control Periods (A) 7 and (B) 8.

Huw Merriman: For the purposes of this answer we have taken enhancements spending and Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) spending to be the same. The RNEP came into effect at the start of CP6 and provides a pipeline approach to enhancements investment with projects taking incremental investment decisions, moving away from the control period cycle. This reflected a change in the way both Network Rail and enhancements were funded and governed following the reclassification of Network Rail in 2014. It is therefore challenging to provide a direct comparator across all Control Periods, and data for "Wales Route" is not available in a comparable format in the time available. Using data taken from Network Rail's Regulatory Accounts the spend on enhancements for England and Wales in CP4 (2009/10 to 2013/14) was £10.9bn (in 2013/14 prices) and in CP5 (2014/15 to 2018/19) was £14.7bn (in cash prices). The spend to date for CP6 (2019/20 to 2022/23) is £6.16bn, again as per Network Rail's Regulatory Accounts (in cash prices). The England and Wales enhancements budget for the remaining year of CP6 2023/24 is £2.11bn. In line with the Chancellor's Autumn Statement 2022, we anticipate that our enhancements budget for England and Wales for the first 4 years of CP7 will be set at c.£8.52bn. Budgets beyond this point have not yet been set and will be subject to future Fiscal Events. As per the RNEP, the allocation of this budget to schemes will be subject to investment decisions on a per scheme basis not yet taken.

Railways: Expenditure

Mr Rob Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what he expects the operations, maintenance and renewal spending for the (a) network in England and Wales and (b) Wales Route to be in Control Periods (i) 7 and (ii) 8.

Huw Merriman: Government provided £44.1 billion for rail operations, maintenance and renewals spending in England and Wales in Control Period 7. This settlement, a 4% real-terms increase on the current settlement, was published on 1 December 2022. The quantum of funding within this that will be allocated towards spend in Wales remains subject to the completion of the independent regulator’s (the Office of Rail and Road) Final Determination, expected later this year. The settlement for Control Period 8 will be finalised via the Periodic Review 2028 process which will commence during Control Period 7 (which begins in April 2024).

Railways: Expenditure

Mr Rob Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the operations, maintenance and renewal spending for the (a) network in England and Wales and (b) Wales Route was in Control Periods (i) 4, (ii) 5 and (iii) 6.

Huw Merriman: The following table sets out total spend on operations, maintenance and renewal in Control Periods 4 and 5. Control Period 6 concludes in March 2024, therefore the Control Period 6 figures are estimates. Figures in £millionCP4CP5CP6England and Wales319013271041100o/w Wales Route195219522400 Additional notes are as follows relating to the annual figures that comprise these totals:Figures are converted for consistency to 2023/2024 prices using the November 2022 OBR inflation forecast;Totals include traction electricity costs but exclude British Transport Police costs;Spend for 2022/2023 is per unaudited regulated accounts;Figures for the current financial year (2023/2024) are as per budgetary flexibilities for this year;Historic allocation rates have been applied to derive allocated spend for Wales in CP6;Figures from 2009/2010 to 2021/2022 are as per audited accounts; andSpend in Wales in 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 have been pro-rated based on years 3 to 5 of CP4.Note for context that NR spend on the Wales and Borders route is between 4% and 5% of the GB total so far in CP6, whilst Network Rail’s Wales and Borders route makes up circa 4% of the entire GB rail network in terms of train miles in CP6.

Active Travel: Finance

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on delivering the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.

Jesse Norman: The Government’s most recent assessment of progress towards delivering the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy was set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy report to Parliament in July 2022, a copy of which is available in the House Libraries.

Quad Bikes: Safety

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans steps to make roll bars mandatory for all quad bikes.

Mr Richard Holden: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to UIN 186617.

Active Travel England: Levelling Up Fund

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many successful Levelling Up Fund bids were assessed by Active Travel England in the last 12 months.

Jesse Norman: In August 2022, Active Travel England assessed all bids relating to active travel that were submitted as part of the second round of the Levelling Up Fund. This included 20 successful bids from local authorities containing active travel measures.

Walking

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's publication entitled The second cycling and walking investment strategy, published 10 March 2023, what progress his Department has made on completing its objective of increasing walking activity to 365 stages per person per year by 2025.

Jesse Norman: The Government’s most recent assessment of progress towards meeting its active travel goals was set out in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) report to Parliament in July 2022, a copy of which is available in the House Libraries. The most recent National Travel Survey statistics for 2021 show that the number of walking stages per person per year fell to 279 stages following impacts from the pandemic. The previous (CWIS1) objective of 300 stages per person had consistently been achieved from 2015 to 2019, with an average of 331 stages per person per year across this period, which is why the objective was made more ambitious in CWIS2. The latest statistics for 2022 are due to be published in September 2023, and the Department will provide a further assessment in its next report to Parliament in due course.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Hydrogen: Boilers

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent steps his Department has taken to help support the development of hydrogen boilers.

Graham Stuart: The £25m Government-funded Hy4Heat innovation programme supported the development of many prototype hydrogen appliances including boilers. It has provided evidence of end-use application, safety, in-use emissions, and functionality of hydrogen boilers.

Heat Pumps: Manufacturing Industries

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of the Clean heat market mechanism on (a) research and development funding, (b) domestic manufacturing and (c) international imports for the heating manufacturing industry.

Graham Stuart: The Government’s assessment is that its overall policy framework, including the Clean Heat Market Mechanism, will help to increase investment in research and development and incentivise investment in expanding the UK manufacturing of heat pumps to serve a growing market. The Government launched a Heat Pump Investment Accelerator Competition to support directly increased domestic manufacture of heat pumps. Alongside this, the expansion of the heat pump market may also see increased numbers of imported heat pumps in absolute terms, at least in the near term. The mechanism will apply equally to UK-manufactured and imported boilers, ensuring a level playing field.

Heat Pumps

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Clean heat market mechanism on consumer demand for heat pumps.

Graham Stuart: The Clean Heat Market Mechanism aims to provide the UK heating industry with the incentive and confidence to invest in developing the market and supply chain for low-carbon heat pumps. This is expected to help make it simpler and more attractive for consumers to install a heat pump, contributing to increasing demand overall. As the heat pump market expands, supported by a range of measures including the planned Clean Heat Market Mechanism, upfront costs of heat pump installations are expected to reduce, helping to increase demand further

Heat Pumps: Production

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to take steps to increase the proportion of heat pumps produced in the UK.

Graham Stuart: In the 2021 Heat and Buildings Strategy, the Government announced its aim to increase domestic manufacture of heat pumps to around 300,000 units a year by 2028. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero launched the Heat Pump Investment Accelerator Competition in March 2023 to incentivise the manufacturing of heat pumps and their components in the UK. This Competition will provide up to £30m of grants to secure up to £270m of private investment to boost heat pump and related component manufacturing facilities in the UK.

Heat Pumps: Production

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to increase the Government's current target for the number of heat pumps that should be produced in the UK.

Graham Stuart: In the 2021 Heat and Buildings Strategy, the Government announced its aim to increase domestic manufacture of heat pumps to around 300,000 units a year by 2028. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero launched the Heat Pump Investment Accelerator Competition in March 2023 to incentivise the manufacturing of heat pumps and their components in the UK. This Competition will provide up to £30m of grants to secure up to £270m of private investment to boost heat pump and related component manufacturing facilities in the UK.

Heating: Carbon Emissions

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to expand eligibility for Government grants to include a wider range of heat pump and low carbon heating systems in the next two years.

Graham Stuart: Hybrid heating systems, alongside Heat Pump deployment, could play a transitional role in the 2020s and 2030s. The Improving Boiler Standards and Efficiency consultation explored the potential role that hybrids could play in heat decarbonisation, both in the near term and beyond 2028. The Government is analysing responses and will issue a response. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme looks to direct the funding available towards the technologies that offer the greatest carbon savings, rather than those such as hybrid or air-to-air heat pumps which would involve the burning of fossil fuels to meet fully the property’s space heating and hot water requirements.

Geothermal Energy: South Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an estimate of the geothermal energy potential of minewater in the South Wales Coalfield; and whether he has had recent discussions with the Welsh Government on this issue.

Graham Stuart: There is ongoing work to assess the potential contribution of geothermal heat in Wales. The Coal Authority is working closely with the Welsh Government to produce a full Mine Water Heat resource map for Wales, identifying key opportunity locations and an overall resource estimate. The map is scheduled for completion later this year. Heat is a devolved policy area but the Department has funded studies for local authorities to explore minewater heat opportunities across South Wales.

Boats: Energy

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what support is available to help boaters without permanent moorings with the cost of energy.

Amanda Solloway: Officials are working to establish if there is a robust method for boaters without permanent moorings to prove that their boat is their main or sole residence, whilst protecting public funds, so they can claim the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding and the Alternative Fuel Payment Alternative Fund. We recommend that these households visit the ‘Help for Households’ webpage on GOV.UK to view what other support they may be eligible for - https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk/.

G7

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress he has made on meeting the UK's G7 commitments.

Graham Stuart: Britain is leading the G7 in tackling climate change. Between 1990 and 2021 the UK cut emissions by 48% while growing the economy by 65%, decarbonising faster than any other G7 country. The Government’s plan, as set out in Powering Up Britain, shows how the Government will enhance the country’s energy security, seize the economic opportunities of the clean energy transition and deliver on its net zero commitments, including those made at the G7. The Powering Up Britain publication can be found here.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the performance of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in its first year.

Graham Stuart: In its first year the Boiler Upgrade Scheme received 15,768 voucher applications and paid out on 9,983 to the cost of £50.9 million. Industry has reacted positively to the scheme during its first year, with suppliers developing competitive offers alongside the grant. The Government announced that the BUS will be extended until 2028, with an additional budget allocation for each year.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Members

Alison McGovern: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average time is for a Department to respond to casework queries from Rt hon. and hon. Members.

Alex Burghart: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence. As per the Cabinet Office’s Guide to Handling Correspondence on gov.uk, departments and agencies should aim to respond to correspondence from MPs within a 20 working day target deadline, but are advised to consider setting more challenging deadlines than 20 working days to ensure a better minimum service level. Performance data on responses to correspondence from Parliamentarians for 2022 can be found on gov.uk. This data shows the volume of correspondence received by government departments and agencies from Parliamentarians and the percentage that was responded to within each department’s target deadline as well as the 20 working day maximum target deadline. I expect Government Ministers to respond quickly and effectively to Members’ correspondence and I will continue to drive that message.

Civil Servants: Secondment

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data his Department holds on (a) the number of people working in civil service roles in each Department who are on secondment from business and (b) the sectors and industries from which those people have been seconded.

Jeremy Quin: Secondments into the Civil Service from other sectors are encouraged as a means of bringing in high demand skills, enabling talented individuals from outside the Civil Service to contribute to the work of Government by sharing critical capabilities and innovative thinking for a set period of time.Although work is ongoing to increase data flow in this area, the Cabinet Office does not at present hold detailed data on the total number of people in the Civil Service on secondment from business nor the sectors and industries from which those people have been seconded.

10 Downing Street: Video Recordings

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many hours of staff time were involved in (a) designing, producing and editing the video footage, music and graphics and (b) drafting and recording the voiceover used in the film entitled May: The Rewind, published on the 10 Downing Street Twitter account on 2 June 2023; and whether any other public money was spent on the preparation of the film.

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason his Department deleted the film entitled May: The Rewind, published on the 10 Downing Street Twitter account on 2 June 2023, on the same evening that it was published; and whether he plans to (a) publish the film elsewhere and (b) produce an equivalent film to catalogue the work of the Prime Minister during the month of June.

Alex Burghart: No10’s digital content is produced in-house as part of the wider communications team output. Civil servants are not required to fill out time sheets. A range of digital content is published on No10’s digital channels on a regular basis. The video is available to the public at: https://www.facebook.com/100069280206756/videos/982077386441926

Cabinet Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s publication of government procurement card spending over £500 for April 2023, what the nature was of the training and development services for which Happy or Not Ltd. were paid £1,794 on 13 April, and for what purpose they will be used by his Department.

Alex Burghart: I refer the Honourable Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood to the answer provided on 6th May PQ 186920.

Cabinet Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s publication of government procurement card spending over £500 for February 2023, how many staff in his Department received training as a result of the payments to (a) The Hawkhills on 16 February and (b) Bristol Beacon on 22 February; and for what purpose each training course was required.

Alex Burghart: (a) The payment made on the government procurement card on 16 February was for one member of the Incident Response and Coordination team attending the Strategic Emergency Management course delivered by the Emergency Planning College at The Hawkhills in York on 23 and 24 March 2023. The cost covered the Emergency Planning College’s two day residential Strategic Emergency Management training and accommodation, as published in their course prospectus.This course is available to all organisations with a role in strategic emergency management and is not specifically for Cabinet Office staff. The delegate attended to further develop their skills and abilities to provide strategic management to critical incidents in line with their job role. (b) The event at the Bristol Beacon was aimed at 47 members of the Government Property Agency (GPA). The purpose was to launch the GPA South West and South Wales Community Group. The event was important given the essential role of the community in:Supporting the Levelling up agenda and connecting with Head of Place activitiesDelivering the GPA strategic objectives within the regionDriving cross-organisational working to enable GPA to best support its customers - civil servants working in GPA offices in the area

Afghanistan Veterans' Fund

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Afghanistan Veterans' Fund at achieving its objectives.

Johnny Mercer: In September 2021, the Government announced that Armed Forces charities would receive £5 million in additional funding to support veterans, including those who may be struggling following events in Afghanistan. Whilst a full qualitative and quantitative analysis of this funding will be undertaken by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (AFCFT), who have administered this on behalf of the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, at the appropriate time, the AFCFT has already seen positive impacts during their mid-programmes reviews.

Department for Education

Further Education: Finance

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of 16 to 19 education funding.

Robert Halfon: The department is committed to investing in 16 to 19 education, and to ensuring that further education is financially sustainable.Throughout this Parliament, we have increased overall funding for the sector. An extra £1.6 billion was allocated for 16 to 19 education in 2024/25 compared with 2021/22, which is the largest increase in 16 to 19 funding in a decade.In the 2023/24 financial year, the department will invest a further £125 million in increasing funding rates for 16 to 19 education, including a 2.2% increase in the national funding rate for the 2023/24 academic year to £4,642, and an increase in funding for specific high value subject areas in engineering, construction and digital, to help institutions with the additional costs of recruiting and retaining teachers in these vocational areas.In addition, in February 2023, we announced a 10% increase to the national funding rates for T Levels (bands 6 to 9) specifically for the 2023/24 academic year. This is to recognise the extra cost for providers transitioning from study programmes to T Levels, and to support providers with growing their T Level offer.To simplify funding arrangements, a national funding formula to calculate an allocation of funding to each institution for each academic year was put in place from 2013/14. Revisions have been made to the formula, but the core elements have been consistent.While there are performance measures for 16 to 19 education and Ofsted judgements on its quality, no specific evaluation of overall 16 to 19 funding has been commissioned or is planned.More information about funding arrangements for 16 to 19-year-olds can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/funding-education-for-16-to-19-year-olds.

Children: Missing Persons

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department collects monthly data of the number of children who go missing.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of missing children.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps is she taking to prevent children from going missing; and if she will make an assessment of the reasons that children go (a) temporarily and (b) permanently missing.

Claire Coutinho: The government takes the issue of any child going missing, either from home or from local authority care, extremely seriously.Local authorities must record statistics for all children who go missing from care. The department publishes these figures annually as part of the wider suite of statistics on looked after children.There are many reasons why children go missing, including to return to their homes or home areas. In 2022, data showed that the vast majority (90%) of missing incidents lasted for two days or less. The data also showed a higher proportion of children go missing from children's homes and semi-independent living arrangements, than from foster placements.The department’s statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care outlines local authorities’ responsibilities to all missing children. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-who-run-away-or-go-missing-from-home-or-care. It requires that every children’s home has clear procedures in place to prevent children from going missing. The guidance empowers and encourages children’s homes to challenge local authorities where they are not providing the input and services a child needs, such as offering detailed interviews when a child has returned from being missing.

Secure Accommodation: Finance

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding for secure accommodation welfare placements.

Claire Coutinho: The government recognises the importance of ensuring that there is sufficient provision across the children’s secure estate including for welfare placements. As such, the department is investing £259 million to maintain capacity and expand provision in secure and open residential children’s homes.This will provide high quality, safe homes for some of our most vulnerable children and young people and create new places and support provision in secure children’s homes (SCH) in all nine regions of England. This funding is enabling work to reconfigure and expand the estate, reduce the number of children waiting for a secure welfare place in an SCH and support local authorities to place children in their care closer to families and friends, where possible. This includes replacing ageing parts of the estate, investing in upgrades and improvement works to improve occupancy rates and increasing the number of welfare beds.As part of this, the department will fund the building of two new homes in London and the West Midlands, where there is currently no secure provision, alongside extensions or adaptations to three current homes. This will support local authorities to maintain current capacity, whilst also adding around 50 new beds and 21 step-down beds by March 2025. The department envisages that many children from London or the West Midlands in need of secure care will ultimately be able to stay in their local area, rather than be placed far away from home.

Children: Social Services

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) children's services budget for social care and (b) population was of (i) the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, (ii) Birmingham City Council, (iii) Blackpool Council, (iv) Blackburn with Darwen Council, (v) the City of Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council (vi) the London Borough of Hackney, (vii) Hartlepool Borough Council, (viii) the London Borough of Islington, (ix) Knowsley Council, (x) Hull City Council, (xi) Liverpool City Council, (xii) Leicester City Council, (xiii) Manchester City Council, (xiv) Middlesbrough Borough Council, (xv) Newham London Borough Council, (xvi) Nottingham City Council, (xvii) Oldham Council, (xviii) Rochdale Borough Council, (xix) Salford City Council, (xx) Sandwell Council, (xxi) South Tyneside Council, (xxii) Stoke-on-Trent City Council, (xxiii) Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, (xxiv) Tower Hamlets London Borough Council and (xxv) the City of Wolverhampton Council in (A) 2018-19, (B) 2019-20, (C) 2020-21, (D) 2021-22 and (E) 2022-23.

Claire Coutinho: Information on the budget for children’s social care by individual local authorities is collected as part of the Section 251 Budget return. Information is then published in the statistical publication, ‘Planned LA and School Finance’, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/planned-la-and-school-expenditure.The total budget for children’s social care for the years 2018/19, 2019/20, 2021/22 and 2022/23 for each local authority is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/64266413-c584-419c-9d84-08db63516a24.Section 251 Budget was not collected for 2020/21 in order to reduce burdens on local authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic.Information on populations is available from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationestimatesforukenglandandwalesscotlandandnorthernireland.

Special Educational Needs: Hertfordshire

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the letter from the Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing to the hon. Member for St Albans, dated 17 May 2023, on the application of the National Funding Formula (NFF) for special educational needs and disability to Hertfordshire, whether she will publish the analysis which shows that (a) the gap between Hertfordshire and other education authorities' historic levels of spending and their current allocation has significantly narrowed since 2017/18, and (b) adjusting historic spending data used in the NFF calculation would not have a significant effect on the central funding allocation for Hertfordshire.

Claire Coutinho: I apologise to the hon. Member for St Albans that she has not yet received a response to her request for this analysis. I will write to you within the next week, providing the analysis that you have requested.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Artificial Intelligence

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Government's publication A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation, published on 29 March 2023, how much and what proportion of the budget of each regulator in their Department was spent on regulation of artificial intelligence in the latest period for which information is available; how many staff in each regulator worked (a) wholly and (b) partly on those issues in the latest period for which information is available; and whether those regulators plan to increase resources for their work on artificial intelligence.

Mims Davies: The AI White Paper emphasised the importance of ensuring that UK regulators and public bodies have the capacity, expertise, and capabilities to implement government’s pro-innovation approach whilst recognising and understanding the risks. This is particularly true for those regulators for which AI falls squarely within their regulatory remit, but also applies to a much wider range of public and regulatory bodies considering the implications AI has across the economy. The Department for Work and Pensions sponsors three regulators: The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and The Pensions Regulator. It is not possible to accurately confirm the numbers of staff who partly work on the implications of AI within their remit. This presents a challenge disaggregating ‘AI resource’ to provide figures on the proportion of budget spent. However, the department can confirm the following: ONR is developing a framework for regulation of artificial intelligence (AI). Following two successful expert panels on AI in collaboration with industry and academia, ONR was awarded a £170,950 grant from the governments Regulators’ Pioneer Fund (RPF) to pilot a first of a kind regulatory sandbox process for AI in the nuclear sector, in partnership with the Environment Agency. In line with their commitment to embrace innovation ONR continues to grow capability for the regulation of novel technologies, including AI. HSE does not allocate a specific budget for work in relation to AI, this is a cross-cutting topic which concerns many divisions within HSE. No HSE staff work wholly on AI and approximately ten staff have materially contributed to work on AI over the last 12 months. This is technology that is developing at pace, as an agile regulator HSE will reallocate resource to address new risks as necessary. TPR does not allocate a specific budget for work in relation to AI and no staff work wholly on AI. This is technology that is developing at pace, as an agile regulator TPR will reallocate resource to address new risks as necessary.

Covid Local Support Grant

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the COVID Local Support Grant.

Mims Davies: The COVID Local Support Grant provided £200m of funding to Local Authorities in England between 17th April 2021 and 30th September 2021 to provide assistance for those most in need. Local Authorities were reimbursed in arrears upon the satisfactory receipt of compliant Management Information returns which demonstrated that delivery had met the published guidance and grant determination. We are proud that 4.3m awards were made through the Covid Local Support Grant. Management information can be found here.

Poverty: Children

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce the levels of child poverty in Preston constituency.

Mims Davies: The latest available data shows that the proportion of children in families in absolute low income in the Preston constituency in 2021/22 was 21.9%, a reduction of 3.5 percentage points compared with 2014/15 (the first year for which comparable data is available) and a reduction of 0.7 percentage points compared with 2020/21. Absolute poverty is the government’s preferred measure as the poverty line is fixed in real terms so is not affected by overall median income. The Government is committed to reducing child poverty and supporting low-income families. We will spend around £276bn through the welfare system in Great Britain in 2023/24 including around £124bn on people of working age and their children. From April, we uprated benefit rates by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions the benefit cap levels have also increased by the same amount. With 1.08 million job vacancies across the UK, our focus remains firmly on supporting individuals, including parents, to move into, and progress in work, an approach which is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment - particularly where it is full-time - in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children. The latest statistics show that in 2021/22 children living in workless households were around 5 times more likely to be in absolute poverty after housing costs than those where all adults work. To further support those who are in work, from 1 April 2023, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW. At the Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced an ambitious package of measures designed to support people wherever they live in the UK to enter work, increase their working hours and extend their working lives. We are investing billions in additional childcare support for parents of toddlers, investing in wraparound childcare in schools, and increasing financial support for, and expectations of, parents claiming Universal Credit. This government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living which is why we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals with the rising bills. For people who require additional support, whether they receive benefits or not, the Household Support Fund will continue until March 2024. This year long extension allows Local Authorities in England to continue to provide discretionary support to those most in need with the significantly rising cost of living. For the period April 2023 to March 2024, Lancashire County Council has been allocated funding of £19,356,470.44 through the Fund. The Devolved Administrations will receive consequential funding as usual to spend at their discretion.

Low Incomes: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of trends in the numbers of children living in low income households in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Mims Davies: Latest statistics for the levels of children who are in low income in the Enfield North constituency and the London Borough of Enfield are published in “Children in Low Income Families”, and can be found here. National and regional statistics (including those for London) on the number and percentage of children in low income are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication, and can be found here. Due to methodological differences, the figures in these two publications are not comparable.

Restart Scheme

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data his Department holds on the underspend for the Restart scheme as of 12 June 2023.

Mims Davies: To the end of P2 2023/24 accounts the life to date budget for Restart is £852.9m. Expenditure to date for the same time period is £834.9m. This is the latest financial data that we hold as the Department does not hold budget and actual date for mid-month financial reporting.

Pensions: Telephone Services

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2023 to Question 165459 on Pensions: Telephone Services, when he expects for the additional resource assigned to the Future Pension Service to reduce the amount of time callers wait before speaking to the service.

Laura Trott: The DWP Futures Pension Centre helpline has experienced unprecedented levels of contact from customers considering whether to pay voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICS) before the deadline. To ensure customers have the time and information to make an informed decision, HM Revenue & Customs has announced it will extend the deadline to pay these contributions until 5 April 2025. DWP have provided additional resources and continue to review resourcing options to meet the current demand and improve the service.

Pension Credit: Applications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average clearance time for a new claim for pension credit was in each of the last three months for which data are available.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the longest period between (a) receipt and (b) approval of an application for pension credit was in the last 12 months.

Laura Trott: The Average Actual Clearance Time for a new claim to Pension Credit in March 2023 was 32.8 days, in April 2023 was 34.1 days and in May 2023 was 25.0 days. The target is 35 days. Please note that the data provided for clearance times for a new claim to Pension Credit for March, April & May 2023 does not form part of any official statistics and is intended for DWP internal use only. Information for the longest period between (a) receipt and (b) approval of an application for pension credit in the last 12 months, is only available at disproportionate cost to The Department for Work & Pensions as the Department does not have a business requirement for this information to be retained.

State Retirement Pensions: National Insurance Contributions

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an estimate of the number of people who will be eligible to purchase extra state pension top-ups by 31 July 2023.

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an estimate of the number of people who have purchased extra state pension top-ups since 12th October 2015.

Laura Trott: The State Pension top up was a scheme introduced on 12 October 2015 and ran until 5 April 2017. The scheme allowed people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 to obtain extra State Pension income for life by making a voluntary lump sum National Insurance contribution (class 3A). Data was published State Pension top up: 12 Oct 2015 to 17 Sept 2017 (publishing.service.gov.uk) that shows that 13,200 people purchased State Pension top ups. The scheme ended on 5 April 2017, so no further people will be eligible to purchase State Pension top ups by 31 July 2023.Please note, this is a different scheme to VNICs.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls have been handled by the Future Pensions Centre since 7 March 2023.

Laura Trott: Period of calls made to the  Future Pension Centre  Helpline (four weeks)Calls Answered**last entry is only one week 27/02/2023 - 26/03/202347,345  27/03/2023 - 23/04/202347,300  24/04/2023 - 21/05/202342,439  **22/05/2023 - 28/05/202312,943 The Management Information used has been taken from the same operational source data systems as our published administrative data. However, as this Management Information is not a recognised National or Official Statistic, it has not been subjected to the same level of Quality Assurance. As a result, these figures should be treat with caution.